Container and the like and bracing for the same



Jan.- 14, 1930. J, KJEKSTAD y. l1,743,459

CONTAINER AND THE LIIKE: AND BRACING FOR yTHE SAME` Original Filed March 19, 1923l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNE Y J. KJEKSTAD Jan.2 14, 1930.

CONTAINER AND THE LIKE AND BRACING FOR THE SAME I original Filed'Maroh 19. 192s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m E m E A TTORNE Y Patented Jan'. 14, 1930 PATENT OFFICE JOHANNES KJEKSTALD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CONTAINER AND THE LIKE AND BRACING FOR THE SAME Reiled for abandoned application Serial No. 625,988, led March 19, l1923. This application uled February 9, 1927. Serial No. 167,046.

l or channels riveted to the shell, with the angles or channels tied together by tie-rods or braces. This construction, however, necessitates the use ofy a comparatively large amount` of material for bracing and often necessitates an increase in the thickness of the shell, toy givesuiicient stiHness thereto with a comparatively wide spacing of braces, vthis wide spacing being necessary to give accessibility to all parts of the tank internally during erection and while in operation for" cleaning purposes or repairs.

An object of the invention is to provide a tank or container with improved bracing or reinforcement so that it will have a maximum rigidity and resistance to internal pressure, with a minimum reduction in the capacityi of the tank caused by the insertion of the bracing or reinforcing, and with a minimum of metal necessary for the construction of the tank and bracing which is adapted to carry a substantial top load such as a covering of earth, without deformation, and to resist an 'internal pressure in excess of the unit weight of top load; with which ready access may be had to all parts of `the interior of the tank during both erection and operation; and which will be relatively inexpensive. Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment 40 of the invention and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in claim.

En the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l isa plan of a tank constructed in 45. accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on a larger scale of a portion of the tank at one of the corners;

50. Fig. is a fragmentary sectional elevaother and secured at their ends to the walls.

of the tank by welding. In this embodiment of the invention the tie-rods have a length substantially equal to the distance between the walls which they connect, and the rods at their ends are welded, by a suitable welding fillet 2, to the inner faces of the walls which they connect.

ranged in horizontal layers or groups disposed at different elevations, as illustrated in Fig; 2. The rods of each group which eX- tend between any two pair of opposite walls are preferably in engagement with and welded to the rods in the same group which con* nect the other two opposite lateral walls of the container. The tie-rods connecting the top and bottom walls of the container are preferably disposed along the corners formed The tie-rods connecting the i `lateral walls of the tanks are preferably arby the crossing rods in each group of horizntally disposed tie-rods, and at each corner the vertical tie-rods are secured or tied to the horizontally arranged rods in any suitable manner, preferably by tackwelding.l The corner edges of the container may be reinforced by suitable angle members 3 which are welded, as at 4, to the intersecting walls. The intersecting walls at each edge may also be welded together as at 5.

The vertical rods are thus welded to the top and bottom walls of the container and are adapted to carry stresses both in tension and in compression. Internal pressure from the contents of the tank produces forces in tension, and the tie-rods, vertical as well as' horizontal, then have no tendency to bend or buckle. If the tank is buried in the ground, as is frequently the case, with an overburden of earth on the top, the tie-rods may also be put into compression. Under these conditions the top wall ma be quite heavily loaded. With the tank lled, sufficient internal pressure may l be produced to support rthe overburden. However, when the tank is empty, the whole of the top load becomes effective to buckle the top wall. The weight of the overburden is then supported, in the construction of my invention, by the vertical tie-rods. These rods are, however, relatively slender, and alone would be insufficient to carry the compression stresses produced by the overburden, since they would bend and twist from under the load. This tendency is resisted, and the vertical tie-rods are en'- abled to carry the load of the overburden by the strengthening effect of the transverse tierods which support the vertical tie-rods at frequent intervals.

In Figure 4 a different manner of securing the tie-rods to the walls is illustrated. In this embodiment the opposite walls g and z. of the tank are connected by one or more tierods 8, similar to, the'rods 1 and 6 but.which instead pass through apertures inthe connected walls, the outer ends of the tie-rods being welded to the outer faces of the\con nected walls, as by a fillet 9. In Figure 5 a 3o sli htly different manner of securing the tiero s to the walls is illustrated. In this embodiment one or more rods 10 which connect the walls z' and j of the tank extend through the walls and have their projecting ends threaded and carrying nuts 11. After the nuts are adjusted into contact with the outer faces of the walls, they may be welded to the outer face of the connected walls so as to seal the openings through which the rods pass.

It will be observed that with this manner of bracing the tank a ainst internal pressure, channel angle and heretofore commonl used have been replaced by tie-rods of unifbrm cross-section which occupy less space in the container and which can be so arranged relatively to one another that the space between them will be as large as possible, so as to enable oneto pass between them while erecting, cleaning or repailiin the tanks. When the tie-rods are we e to the wallsr of the container, thel forcesthereon will be tensile and not shearately adjacent the points of crossing of two' rods in several of the horizontal groups and connected to the two rods at each of such points of crossing, whereby the rods are resistant to both internal and external stresses without deformation.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

- JOHANNES KJEKSTAD.

flat plate members disposed described and illustrated for the purpose of Y explainin the nature of the invention, may

65 be made' y those skilled in the art within 

